Living in the Spirit
August 5, 2023
Scripture Reading: Romans 9:1-5
I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit— I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart, for I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.
Paul is going the extra mile in recognizing that the Messiah, the Chosen One, in faith, was the direct descendant of the covenant of the Israelites with God. He carefully uses the Hebrew word Messiah rather than the Greek translation Christ to underscore that point. I assume his audience was Jewish.
Our behavior as Christ-followers today requires us to communicate with others with an understanding of their culture and even language if necessary. Citizens of the USA have inherited a superiority complex that we must deal with before we can share God’s love from here to the ends of the earth. I grew up hearing the term ugly Americans. It is a Pejorative term for Americans traveling or living abroad who remain ignorant of local culture and judge everything by American standards. The term is taken from the title of a book by Eugene Burdick and William Lederer*. It is a way of being that I fear is picking up popularity. We must let it go and learn to love others for who they are as our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we are caught in the ways of our culture being better than others. Amen.
*https://www.dictionary.com/browse/the-ugly-american
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.